There's a new widget on this blog! We are testing Instant Messaging (IM).
IM, also known as chat, is a form of private communication between two online users. Using the Meebo IM widget on the Blogalogue, we could operate an online reference service for our customers. This would be faster and more interactive than customer emails and provide an alternative to the telephone. One advantage of IM over phone calls is the ability to copy and paste website urls into the IM widget.
Here's some lowdown on IM:
Among the things that we need to decide as a group is how, when and if we want to use this service. It requires that we log-on to show that we are available, so at what times should we be online or offline during opening hours? Do we treat IM customers just the same as in-person and phone customers, ie, they're in the queue? Which PC do we operate it from when there's 2 Info people about? Things like that.
If you wan to play with it, please feel free to ask me and I'll set up a chat - or "chat" amongst yourselves! You could be the customer or the Info person - your choice. To log in as the ref person, go to Meebo and sign in to the Meebo login with the ID libraryenquires and the password imthelibrary.
Any ?s, just ask: Glenn
